


Put The World Away

by softeststarboy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Dates, M/M, Study Date, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softeststarboy/pseuds/softeststarboy
Summary: Kuro finds himself distracted in class. His teacher suggests study sessions which on theory sounds great, but it forces Kuro to be even closer to his source of distraction.
Relationships: Kuro/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Put The World Away

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece for the Fall Into You - A Shance Anthology. PDF copies are still available for sale which you can find through Twitter or Tumblr @talesofshance I hope y'all enjoy this one!

Kuro clenches his jaw, fingers drumming against his thigh and his leg rapidly bouncing. Being lectured by his professor for 15 minutes straight really isn't his favorite pastime. Especially when it's cutting into his already insanely short lunchtime. 

"Kuro, I don't think you understand how serious this is," Iverson sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was serious." Kuro deadpans, folding his arms over his chest. He really is trying to focus in class, but there are just too many available distractions. He loses focus for half a second and they're already four problems ahead.

"Look, Lance holds study sessions in the library. Why don't you try going to one and see if it helps?" 

Kuro nods and grabs his bag. "Yeah, study sessions, I can do that." 

"Please take this seriously, Kuro." Iverson sighs once more, long and weary, "If you don't pass these next few exams you'll have to retake the class. It'll hold you back from graduating on time."

His grip on his bag tightens. "Honestly, if I wasn't taking this seriously I wouldn't be here right now. I _know_ I need help and I really do appreciate that you're looking out for me." 

Iverson leans back in surprise for a moment then offers Kuro an easy smile. "I'm always here for my students. I may seem like a hard ass at times, but I would never turn my back on any of you." 

"Thanks, Iverson." 

"I know you can do this, Kuro." 

Kuro stands with a nod, quite unsure of what to say next. "Well, um, I'll see you in class tomorrow." He turns on his heels and walks out of the office, almost missing Iverson's goodbye. 

Shoving his hands into his pockets he makes his way out of the building, wishing he wasn't having such a hard time with Physics. He's doing well in all of his other classes there’s just something about it that is holding him back. There's always so much going on that he finds it hard to keep up. 

Unfortunately, Lance just so happens to be one of Kuro's many distractions. His personality is so bright and bubbly, Kuro can't help but to look. For him to survive through the entire study session with Lance will be an absolute miracle. With how most of their classes end up going (with Kuro staring at Lance) he knows he's a deadman. 

* * *

Kuro chews on his lip while walking through the library, trying his best to not seem as anxious as he's feeling. He picks at nonexistent dust on his leather jacket as he stands in front of the door of the small study room. He shouldn't be this nervous, it's just a study session. So what if Lance, his dream crush, is running the show. 

Kuro sighs and pushes the door open, there are only a few people sitting around a round table, Lance being one of them. 

Lance looks up, smiling brightly. "Kuro, I'm glad you could make it! You can sit where you'd like, we'll be starting in a few minutes." 

With a nod, Kuro takes the seat the farthest away from Lance. It takes a whole lot of effort to act like he doesn't care, like Lance's pretty blue eyes looking at him aren't making his palms sweaty and head fuzzy. Yup, he's a deadman. 

The session _drags on_ and by the time it's over Kuro can barely remember half of it. He shoves his things back into his bag and walks out without saying much of anything. Great, just great. He's going to fail physics and derail his plans for post-graduation all because he can't keep his eyes off of Lance. 

"Hey, Kuro, wait up!" Lance jogs over to him with a soft smile on his lips. 

_Great_ , he can't even get out of the building without Lance coming over to call him out.

Biting his tongue Kuro raises an eyebrow and shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Do you mind if we sit real quick? I want to look over your work if that's okay." 

"Uh, sure, I guess." Kuro follows Lance over to an open table. Lance throws down his mountain of books and sits down, patting the seat next to him with a smile. 

Sighing, Kuro sits down next to him, pulling his laptop back out of his bag along with his notes. 

Leaning forward Lance's eyes scan over it all. He's so close Kuro can smell his cologne. It smells somewhat like an ocean breeze. Lance looks over at him with a soft smile. 

"I was thinking maybe we could try a one on one session? I know this was only your first time coming, but I think being in a group might be why you're struggling?" Lance taps his fingers against the side of Kuro's laptop, chewing his lip before he continues on. "I know you care about your classes, I know you aren't the man everyone says you are and I would really like to help you if you would let me." 

"Is it really that easy to tell I was struggling?" 

Lance shrugs. "You lose focus a lot. I caught you more than once staring blankly instead of actually listening to what was being said. Maybe incentives will help you keep it? Like if you know you pass the next test you'll get a free dinner maybe it'll help you work on keeping your focus?" 

"God, I'm such a failure. It didn't even take you two full hours for you to figure it out yourself." Kuro groans, raking his fingers through his hair just for it to flop back down against his forehead. 

"Hey." Lance stops, crossing his arms and looking at him with one of those stern professor looks Kuro always gets from Iverson. "I _never_ said you're a failure. I just think one on one tutoring and incentives would work better for you. I'm offering you help, Kuro, you just have to accept it." 

Kuro clenches his jaw but nods anyway. He does need help plus this would give him some alone time with Lance… it sounds perfect. Almost too perfect. 

With a grin Lance claps his hand against Kuro's shoulder. "Great! Are you free tomorrow evening? I think it'd be best to get started sooner rather than later." 

"Uh…" he scratches behind his ear, struggling to find words. "Yeah. My place or yours?" 

"Mine is fine. My roommate usually doesn't cause much of a fuss." 

Kuro nods, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. It's a miracle he survived today. Being alone with Lance is uncharted territory. He really has no idea how he's going to make it through an entire study session alone with him without making a fool of himself. 

"I'll see you tomorrow then." 

"Yeah, tomorrow." 

Lance flashes him one more smile before standing up to make his way out of the building. Kuro sits there, frozen for a moment, watching as Lance leaves him behind. 

Swallowing hard Kuro finally makes his way out of the library, wondering how he's supposed to survive an entire session alone with his crush. 

* * *

Kuro knocks on Lance's door, trying not to freak himself out _too_ much. It'll be fine. He'll get through it and maybe even learn something if he's lucky. 

Lance opens the door with a soft smile. "Hey, I'm glad you made it! Sorry it's a bit messy in here. I hope it won't be too distracting." 

Kuro shrugs. "My room isn't exactly the cleanest." 

"Good to know I'm not alone." Lance throws him an easy smile while gesturing for Kuro to sit. "Let's get started, yeah?" 

They get right into it. Kuro tries his best to stay focused, but Lance is making it very difficult for him. He's never had the chance to get this close to him before, it's almost exhilarating. It doesn't help that he's even prettier up close, it's hard for him not to swoon. 

Lance sighs, tapping his pen against his lips. "I really thought this would help you, but you still seem distracted. What's bothering you, Kuro?" 

"Oh… um. You are?" 

Lance's face falls. "I am?" 

"Not like that! You're just like really pretty?" 

"You can't focus because I'm pretty?" He raises an eyebrow and leans back in his chair. "That's a new one." 

Kuro shrugs. "I've had a crush on you for a while. It's kind of hard to ignore when you're sitting right beside me." 

Lance hums, running his finger across his bottom lip. "I have an idea. Since I'm apparently your problem why don't I offer you a little incentive?" 

"Like what?" 

"A date? If you pass this test and _keep_ passing we can maybe see how things go?" 

Kuro doesn't miss the blush creeping its way up Lance's cheeks. 

"You're bribing me with dates?" _Please say yes_.

"If it works, yeah." 

"Huh…" he muses, "I didn't think it would be that easy." 

Lance laughs, his nose crinkling in an adorable way, "You still have to pass, you know." 

"I dunno I just thought it'd be harder? Passing a test will be lightwork knowing I get to go out with you." 

With a hum Lance picks his pen back up. "Let's see how the rest of this session goes before getting ahead of ourselves." 

By the end of the session, Kuro feels like he actually did learn at least some of the material which is definitely a step in the right direction. Lance himself deems the session a success and even gives Kuro a soft kiss on the cheek as a little reward. 

The gentle brush of Lance's lips against his cheek is the only thing he can think about the entire time he's walking back to his own apartment. 

As soon as he sets foot in the apartment Shiro already knows something is up. 

"Why do you look so happy? Didn't you just finish a study session?" 

"Yeah it went really great! Lance is great! I'm great!" Kuro drops his bag by the door and shrugs off his jacket. He doesn't even bother trying to hide his goofy grin. 

Shiro gives him a quizzical look. "Okay, why are you acting so weird?" 

"He said we can go on a date if I pass." 

"Oh? That's uh good, I guess?" 

Kuro rolls his eyes. "I'd say it's better than good with all the pining I've done this semester. Anyway, I'm gonna go study some more. Gotta make sure I pass." 

"Right, good luck with that, dude." Shiro turns his attention back to the TV, he's at least impressed with his brother’s dedication. 

* * *

Kuro chews on his lip, leg bouncing while he anxiously waits for Iverson to hand back their tests. He's almost positive he passed with Lance's help, he really boosted his confidence a lot. 

Iverson finally makes his way down Kuro's row. He's practically sweating by the time the paper hits his desk. Swallowing hard he turns it over. He slumps into his seat, relieved to see an A written in bold red. 

His mind wanders for the rest of the class, barely able to focus. He's far too excited to go over and show Lance his grade. 

By the time Iverson finally dismisses them he's buzzing with nervous energy. This one test could be the beginning of something really great. He barely makes it over to Lance without tripping over his own feet. Lance offers him a soft smile and leads him out to the hallway. 

"So?” Lance begins, “Are we going on that date or what?" 

Kuro silently shoves the test into his hands unable to find any words. If he could find words they'd probably come out jumbled anyway. 

Lance grins. "Looks like we are going on that date. I'm really proud of you, Kuro." He hands the test back to Kuro, which gets haphazardly shoved into his pocket. 

Kuro's heart swells. "I—thank you. I worked really hard." 

"It shows. You've definitely earned yourself a reward." Biting his lip Lance steps closer, invading Kuro's space. 

His breath gets stuck in his throat, soft rose tinting his cheeks. "Uh… I have?" 

Lance laughs and rests a gentle hand on Kuro's shoulder. "It's surprisingly easy to get you to blush. With your bad boy exterior I never would've guessed." 

"Pft, I am _very_ tough." Kuro rolls his eyes actively trying and failing to quell his blush. 

"And _very_ cute." Lance boops his nose. 

"Is that my reward? A nose boop?" 

"Such a dork," he mumbles, grabbing Kuro by the collar of his jacket to pull him into a kiss. 

For a moment Kuro forgets they're still standing in the hallway of the science building. Once he steadies himself he clears his throat. "That was much better than a nose boop." 

Lance giggles, sliding his hand down from around his neck to rest on Kuro's chest. "I'd hope so. I was hoping we could maybe go grab some hot chocolate or something now as maybe a low pressure first date?" 

"I would _love_ that." 

With a grin Lance grabs Kuro's hand, leading him out of the building and across campus to the small coffee shop. 

Kuro feels like he's floating the entire walk over. Today is going far better than he ever imagined it would. He aces his test, gets a kiss from Lance _and_ a date from him all in one day? Talk about a perfect day. 

The coffee shop is warm and cozy, perfect for a chilly late-fall day. Their signature aromatic brew fills the air, truly one of the best places on campus. 

"So, how do you take your hot cocoa?" Kuro asks as they wait in line, eyes casually scanning the menu board. 

"No whip, extra mini marshmallows." 

Kuro looks at him like he just got punched in the gut. "No whip!? The whip is the best part!" 

Lance shakes his head, nose scrunching. "Definitely not. Besides my go to is usually chocolate con queso." 

Kuro stops short, slowly blinking a few times before pulling his lips into a flat line and cocking his head to the right. "You're joking, right?" 

"Why would I be joking?" 

"First you say no whip, which is the best part of hot chocolate. Then you say you like hot chocolate with _cheese_ in it? You're lucky you're cute or else I'd be outta here for these crimes against hot chocolate." Kuro shivers, placing his hand on his chest with exaggerated disgust. 

"It's really good! I bet you'd like it if I made it for you." Lance defends his chocolatey cheese much to Kuro's dismay. 

"I mean this in the nicest way possible, but no thank you. I think I'm better off without cheese in my hot chocolate." 

Lance shrugs and steps up to the counter. "More for me then." 

Kuro takes Lance's hand in his own, patiently waiting while he orders his disgrace to hot chocolate. After ordering his own he pays even through Lance protests, claiming it's supposed to part of his treat for doing so well. 

They find a cozy spot in the corner of the cafe. Sitting closer than necessary, Kuro rests his head against Lance's shoulder, his hand finding its way down to rest on his thigh. 

"You know, I don't think I really mind how you take your hot chocolate as long as I get to be with you while you drink." 

Lance smiles down at his cup, slim fingers drumming against it. "Good, I would hate for hot chocolate to be our downfall." 

**Author's Note:**

> Art for this fic is done by the amazing  
> [@prosaicwonder](https://twitter.com/prosaicwonder) on Twitter!!


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